Intravenous (IV) infusion of fluids into a patient's bloodstream is a common medical procedure. Fluids that are typically administered intravenously include “normal” saline solutions, hypertonic saline solutions, balanced (crystalloid) solutions, colloid solutions, glucose solutions, blood-based products, blood substitutes, plasma solutions, and others. Often while an infusion is administered other medical fluids such as drugs may be introduced into the infusion.
Some common IV systems include a reservoir, and an infusion kit with a dripper, a tube, and a catheter with an IV needle. The reservoir, also sometimes called an IV bag, holds a quantity of the fluid to be infused. The reservoir is held above the patient so that the liquid is fed via gravity. The IV fluid passes from the reservoir to the dripper to the tube and into the patient via the catheter. The rate of flow of the fluid (called a drip rate) may be controlled by the dripper.
By its very nature, IV solutions are often water-based liquid solutions. Accordingly, the size, weight, density and resulting bulkiness of IV bags lead to issues with production, transportation, storage, and inventory maintenance. Such issues arise both in institutional settings, such as in hospitals, clinics, schools, colleges, etc. Such issues are perhaps more troublesome in mobile settings, such as use by fire and rescue squads, military personnel, hunters and or others in remote locations distant from medical facilities, etc.
Thus, while existing IV solution delivery devices, systems, and methods generally work for their intended purposes, improvements to such devices and/or methods that were less cumbersome, and/or that addressed one of the drawbacks of existing devices, systems, or methods, and/or other issues, would be welcome.